What about the usual shillers flogging Frank Leo? I mean, please: call "him" and start packing? Interesting, I know of at least TWO jocks that moved and didn't call "him". (Yet, they claim they would NEVER make a move without him.)

It's all BULLSHIT. Period. Do they think the listener is a moron? If a pillow can advertise 10 times an hour on every goddamn station, how expensive is it?

Shame on those hosts. Shame them all to hell.

RadioActive wrote:

Is there still truth in advertising? I continue to wonder after hearing yet another local radio host touting the miracle benefits of SierraSil. The latest is John Oakley on GNR 640, although Charles Adler and Roy Green, among others, are constantly pitching the wonders of this thing.
 
(My question: if it really does all they claim, why don’t doctors prescribe it for all their patients?)
 
The same goes with the infamous My Pillow. Does Alex Pierson really sleep on one? Does Jeff McArthur lay his head down on said marshmallow-shaped cushion each night? And does Robert Turner really get a better rest simply because that thing is on his bed? Is it even ON his bed?
 
I’ve always found these claims rather specious, if not improvable. And while I know there is some wiggle room in radio advertising claims, and it’s perfectly fine to shill for someone who pays the bills, when a personality claims to have personal benefit from the use of a product, shouldn’t they be obligated to actually prove they use it?
 
What are the rules? Or are there any?

I think SierraSil is over the counter so you don't need a prescription. Some doctors or pharmacists likely do recommend it.  My doctor has recommended over the counter meds before to me.

Can't remember the water company that John Moore talked about for a few years, but he did say that he used the system in his house. That should be good enough. I don't see why anyone would say they used something if they didn't or didn't like the product (other than Frasier Crane). There are rules and the radio station, agency and client could be impacted by this if the ads made claims that were not true or the personality faked the endorsement.

Torontonians do bump into these on air people from time to time and likely simply just ask them, or want more detail.

It would get kind of silly if personalities needed to show a photo or something to prove they were using a product. If the consumer has doubts, there are already avenues they can go down to challenge any claims or facts. But for the vast majority of people the personalities word is good enough.

 

You both  argue your points well. But I can't help but wonder that if a personality endorses every Tom, Dick and Harry company that the sales force presents (lookin' at you Bill the Shill) what real value-added is there? It seems to me the client might as well buy ROS and save the talent fee. As far as actually using the product is concerned, I worked with someone who followed a weight loss regimen for one week, lost a couple of pounds, and not another ounce for the rest of the 3-month campaign. A few weeks later he was endorsing Weight Watchers. I forget how that worked for him, but the clients' cheques didn't bounce. And that's really all that matters, right?

Last edited by potentiometer (December 9, 2019 8:52 pm)

It is all in the wording of the ads. None of the My Pillow radio ads as far as I know claim to cure anything. The individual can say that the pillow helped them with insomnia, or they sleep better since using the pillow or how much more comfortable it is than their old one. There is nothing misleading about that, and how would you prove otherwise? 

Claiming that a product is a cure is a whole other thing, and there are lots of rules about that. We are stricter about claims than in the US. Maybe some of the My Pillow ads south of the border made some cure claims, wouldn't happen here unless it was documented and proven.  Maybe NAFTA 2 will change this?  Ever notice that ads in Canada don't say Homemade? We say Home Style. If it is made in a factory, it isn't homemade.

Moore shouldn't have to address anything about the Kinetico ads. It is possible that he was approached by the company to try out the product or John bought the system and he told some people and it got back to Kinetico.  They may have then asked him if he was interested in endorsing.  Moore is a sharp guy, don't think he would do anything to hurt his or Newstalk 1010's reputation. 

Some stations  also have their own guidelines on any endorsements. But in terms of John addressing the topic, I don't really see why that would be necessary unless the product was of poor quality or didn't do what was advertised , or if he was accused of misleading people.  Beyond that there isn't anything to address.

If John Oakley does not eat at Harbour 60, then he is a damn fine actor who makes it sound pretty convincing. Not sure how often he hoofs it up to High Street for Fish & Chips however.

6079 Smith W wrote:

If John Oakley does not eat at Harbour 60, then he is a damn fine actor who makes it sound pretty convincing. Not sure how often he hoofs it up to High Street for Fish & Chips however.

I picked a good day to mention High Street - Oakley took his panelist, NDP MPP Peter Tabuns, to town tonight for being the only one on the panel who had not been to High Street. Tabuns tried to defend himself with a sop to his Liverpudlian mother, but I bet you he will be hoofing it up there sometime soon.